Kunigunde von Walbeck

Kunigunde von Walbeck (1318-) was a German noblewoman and one of the many lovers of Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich the Usurper. She was invited to his court in 1335, and Heinrich originally intended to have her marry his old friend Mayor Mastino of Motta; when Mastino was uninterested, Heinrich made Kunigunde into one of his mistresses.

Biography
Kunigunde von Walbeck was born in 1318 to a family of German nobility, and she was presented to the court of Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich the Usurper on 2 January 1335. Heinrich intended to have her marry his friend Mayor Mastino of Motta, but Mastino was not interested in marrying the young lady. Instead, Heinrich - known for being a seducer - set his sights on Kunigunde, although the age difference could cause a scandal if court gossips noticed his efforts. On 8 February 1335, Heinrich met Kunigunde in the kitchen of their Vienna castle when she came down for her usual late snack, and they talked and laughed for hours, with the attraction growing. Heinrich whispered love poetry in her ear, but she jerked away with a shocked expression, telling him that he was old enough to be her father, and she ran off giggling. On 12 March 1335, at a minor dance event in Vienna, Heinrich invited Kunigunde to mead in his room, but she spurned him again. On 21 April, however, Heinrich again met Kunigunde in the kitchen and confessed his love for her. They spent the night "making sweet, illicit love in her bed", as Heinrich remembered it, and he snuck out of her room in the wee hours, having made her his lover.